Loving The Way You Hurt Me
by BlackGardenia
Summary: Sasuke is so close to killing her and she loves it. It's her guilt for betraying Naruto that she's suffering through. NaruSaku, SasuSaku.


**This story was unexpected. I had been listening to Eminem and Rihanna's 'Love The Way You Lie', when this beast bit me. Hard. It's so different to what I normally write...I cried. A few times.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. I would, however, suggest listening to the aforementioned song; it kinda' sets the mood for the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own 'Naruto'. This is probably a good thing, I would most likely loose it, like I did my bobby pins, my keys, my pay stub and my white sandals.**

**Warning: This story is _not _fluffy. It's cold and full of harsh-ness. Possible character death too. Seriously. It will make you want to kick puppies. **

**So, please, if you're like me and don't usually go for stories like this, and do so anyway - please don't flame me.**

* * *

I Love The Way You Hurt Me

The air pulled between her teeth, stinging her raw throat. The cold, hard winds slapping her face without mercy as she flew over the landscape, putting miles between where she's headed and where she should be.

The hood of her muted beige cloak lost it's fight to protect her head, allowing her hair to toss and dance, an extraordinary vision of pink flowing over her shoulders.

She's tired, and her eyes show this, the once bright emerald faded. Hollow. Her cheeks are flushed now, but once she's able to stop to catch her breath, the beautiful color will drain and show just how pale she's become.

Stress will do that. Chasing death will do that, and that's exactly what she's doing.

Chasing the black shrouded figure that had bumped her shoulder in the market today. He was lucky, her team mates had been away, patrolling the other three sectors.

Maybe he knew that.

She was just lucky Kiba hadn't thought to take a closer sniff of her cloak. He'd have recoiled, yelled, and pointed an accusing finger at her.

Then Naruto would really know for sure.

Sadly, that meant that when she bathed, she'd have to stand in the cold air naked while she washed her cloak too.

Thoughtless bastard.

A rough branch of ground-covering ferns snapped against her left ankle, drawing a welt. Sakura hissed, but kept up her pace. She wanted as much time as possible, and slowing her hazardous run would compromise that.

As it was, she'd only have a couple hours before she'd have to head back to the others. If she was lucky, they wouldn't notice her extended absence.

But they most likely will, such was her luck.

Risking a glance up, glimpses of the night sky peeped between the thick tree-tops, slivers of the shimmering, neon moonlight slipped through to light her path. It was beautiful. Sakura loved running at night, the world bleached of color, only able to see the barest of her surroundings.

It was the sense of being alone. Of feeling like her secrets wouldn't choke her, or crush her under thier weight.

Then the sun would rise and she'd feel the weight of her decisions like a uniform. Her guilt. Her...ugliness.

The trail ends abruptly and she stops just as quickly, knowing one more step would set off the trip-wire barely glinting at her through the leaves by her feet. She smirks, and there's an edge to her quirked lips.

It's going to be one of _those _nights. There won't be any hiding this by morning. She most likely will be longer than her allotted two hours, as well.

Feeling the air pass into her lungs a little easier after her sprint, she curves her spine, laying her hands on the ground behind her and uses her toes to snap the wire.

Sharp whistles rush at her from all directions, dozens of black, precision weapons flying with deadly intent.

She's able to dodge most of the shuriken, but two catch her hips. Cutting slits through her dress and the back of her cloak. The fine lines on her skin burn. They're poisoned.

_Someone's _in a foul mood.

She feels his presence nearby and knows he's watching her, watching her eyes narrow as she thinks things through quickly, attempting to out smart and out maneuver him. Not an easy feat.

He was a genius, after all.

Disappearing in her quick escape, she reaches for one of the shuriken sunken into the ground, snaps it to her hand and rotating, she launches it toward an alcove in the trees. The leaves tremble, and she hears it embed into the trunk.

She throws five others instantly, and leaps into the opening her attack provided. She knows there's no point to running away.

She didn't leave her squad in the middle of the night and run all the way here to turn tail and go back.

She doesn't see him, but knows he's close. His breath is practically on her neck. She doesn't stop moving, always flipping and ducking, twisting and leaping. A few more burning cuts appear, but she'd deal with the poison later. It wasn't as lethal to her anymore.

She's become nearly immune to it after so many months.

He finally melts free of the shadows. Standing directly in front of her, from his posture she can tell that he's frustrated and angry. She almost changes her mind; he's especially hard on her when he's like this, but she's a masochist at heart.

Injuries heal. Her heart won't.

"Sasuke..."

She's never brave enough to meet his eyes when they battle, but she sees his lips lift into a menacing grin.

"Hn"

He flickers, and she feels the air at her left shiver, she spins left, knowing that he's aiming for her right. She's correct in her assumption, seeing the blade of his Kodachi miss her side by millimeters. The risk factor is too much to use all her strength, but the power in her finger tips is enough to drop massive tree branches in this path, to weaken the forest floor until it caved if you so much as breathed on it.

He closes in again and she's agile enough to contort her body around the blades, but his Chidori is another story.

The destroyed acre of forest lights up with the jutsu, the chirping loud and her eyes glaze over in pain. He uses more electricity than blade, but she wasn't grounded this time, and the intense, paralyzing zap hits the back of her neck.

She's merely thankful that she won't die; her medical jutsu protected her heart from shorting out, and feels a sense of pride when wet warmth splashes her hand.

Her bare hand, made into a cutting tool with chakra, having caught his thigh.

The fight is over, and she looks into his ebony eyes as her adrenaline fails and she succumbs to her own mind.

* * *

Her first thought in waking is that she's in agony.

The slices on her hips, shoulder, cheek, forearms and calf burn incredibly. Her head is pounding, but the worst is between her shoulder blades. It feels like her spine melted.

Wiggling her toes, she's immensely happy to feel them move.

So, so careful, she concentrates her chakra to the wound. It's bad. Any normal person would have died instantly, she's just resilient. And well protected by her chakra. She has to be.

Taking a moment to clear her brain of all thought but that of the task ahead of her, she attempts risky surgery on herself. She's driving blind, but she knows her own body.

Slowly, the cracks in her vertebrae heal, then the singes along the column. He could have severed the nerves; he must have pulled back at the last moment.

Lastly, she heals the open wound. Her flesh is charred and her eyes sting with the sweat and tears as she revives the dead cells.

She hates this part. The pain is nearly enough to break her concentration, but she knows from experience that it'll hurt until it's healed, excruciatingly. So why put off the inevitable?

Seconds that feel like days, the raw, pink edges of skin meet and meld together, another shot of chakra and her skin looks untouched. The poison filtered, all the scars from the shuriken are gone, but the bruises remain.

She takes a trembling breath and falls apart. The mental and emotional scarring has ripped open again, her body is healed but now her soul needs to.

Her sobs are loud, her chest heaves and in her mind, she's cursing Sasuke to the darkest depths of Hell.

He's psychotic, she knows he loves seeing her like this. He must. This isn't the first time he's sat in the room and watched her suffer like this, but only for so long. His presence eventually fades.

After so long the crying stops and she's able to make sense of her surroundings. The room is warm, nearly overly so. The walls are carved stone, meaning this is a cavern. She's been in other places like this, but this one is a little bigger than most, and somewhat furnished.

She's laying, stripped and wrapped in a pile of furs and quilts, in the very center of the room. Sitting up, making sure to hold the top blanket to her, she looks around.

A short distance from her feet there's a rather large fire burning, fueled by logs the size of her thigh and obviously lit by Sasuke. The flames could have reached her shoulder.

To her right, the rounded cavern stretched into a hallway of sorts. No lights though, and it made what she assumed to be the exit, seem ominous. Short, stone pillars flanked the opening, sitting on top of them was Sasuke's weapons. His Kodachi, multiple Fuuma Shuriken, a few kunai and rounds of ninja wire all laid out neatly. A small pile of rags and oil, and another bottle with a brown liquid; poison, sitting on the floor at the base.

Behind her head, a long, wooden table with three crudely-made chairs sat against the wall. An empty drinking glass poised by the edge.

Aside from the crackling , hisses and popping, the room was quiet, so the echo of footsteps seemed loud to her. Loud for Sasuke, but it was him.

He materialized from the hallway, pants undone, hanging low on his hips. Bare chested, soft drops of water sliding down his skin, pooling in the indentations of his abs, before dripping farther.

He was toweling excess water from his hair with a damp towel, the white bandages around his wrists stark against the dark strands, his expression calm and far away.

Sakura's heart hurt; he truly was hateful if he would leave to bathe while she laid there and cried.

"Sakura"

She looked up from the ground and met his gaze. He tossed the towel aside, letting it fall where it may and stalked her. Her head tilted to keep eye contact as he came closer, his toes met the edge of the bed and he stood there, staring.

She wished she could read him like Naruto could. Now would be a good time to know just what was running through his mind.

Sinking into a crouch, he reached her level, and with a grace to be envious of, he lifted his arm and laid his hand on the side of her face, his thumb wiping the tracks of her tears from where they'd trailed by her mouth.

She feels him pull her toward him and with a sigh, she closes her eyes and melts into his kiss.

This is why she keeps coming back.

He shouldn't kiss like this; warm and soft, gentle. He caresses her face as he tilts her head to the side, drawing her mouth to open a little more. Her tongue meets his and they tangle, wrapped around each other as he drops to his knees and moves in closer.

She can smell his soap; a mix of sandalwood and menthol. It's the one she'd given him to help with the burning when he uses his _Katon _jutsu. She knows she smells like the forest, of sweat and vanilla. She'd like to bathe first, but he won't let her. He likes when she smells like this; it's natural and he's intoxicated by it.

She's fine with that.

Releasing her grip on the blanket, Sasuke growls when it falls to reveal her bared torso. Her arms snake around his neck and she breaks a few strands of his hair in her fists, he smirks against her mouth. With one hand he rips the blankets away and shoves her down, his knee pressing between her thighs so he can settle between them.

He's aroused; his erection pressing intimately against her, she gasps and grinds up against him, feeling the heat jolt her.

He bites her bottom lip, bruising it. Sakura winces, but says nothing. It's his thing; pleasure and pain. One cannot exist without the other for him, so she deals with it.

He's tender with her despite this, pressing hot, opened mouth kisses along her jaw, working his way down to the valley between her breasts.

She's breathing deeply and he watches her chest rise and fall before thumbing one hardened peak. Her eyes close, her chin lifting as pangs of tingles erupt just under her skin. His mouth follows soon after, the hot, moist heat feels wonderful on her skin, the texture of his tongue smooth against her nipple, his other hand kneading her other breast, his fingers pulling and pinching until she cries out in pain.

He shivers and rocks against her core. She grunts and pushes back.

He nibbles and licks his way down her ribs, pausing here and there to mark her skin, her hands are on his shoulders, alternating between pushing and pulling, wanting him _there_, but wanting his mouth on hers, too.

She's pushing now, but he pushes back and her arms give to let him devour her mouth. He's a little more rough, biting her tongue, soothing it with his own. His lips press down hard, and he kisses deeper and deeper. She used to wonder if he was trying to choke her.

He doesn't though.

With no warning, he dives down her body and spears her throbbing clitoris with his tongue at the same time he drives a finger inside of her.

Her back arches, her eyes fly open and she yells his name. The feeling is intense, her entire body aching deliciously. Her legs tremble, but he's relentless.

Curling his finger, he massages her inner walls, his thumb rubbing just below the bundle of nerves, his tongue circling it.

It's too much; her breath catches and she's crying, but she's loving it. Her nails are cutting into his scalp; he adds another finger and rotates his wrist.

Her head snaps back and her freshly healed neck aches, but she's focused on the explosion of her climax as it washes over her.

Her entire body is vibrating, tightening around his hand, but he doesn't stop. She's pushing at him now, wanting him to ease up. It's hurting, but after a few moments she can feel the sensations building again and soon her moans are echoing off the walls.

This time though, just as she's reaching her peak, he leans back and after shedding his pants, he's entering her.

His girth is nothing to scoff at and she winces, it's a very tight fit. She's _right there_, can taste it, but he holds still, waiting for her to calm before he starts.

He thrusts, long and deep. There are tears in her eyes again, but it's in rapture. Every nerve is in tune with Sasuke, and when he grabs her shoulders and sits up, she understands what he wants.

Still inside her, she's brought to his lap, his hand grabs her throat and, none too gently, he pushes her back until her head hits the furs on the floor.

The position is awkward, but amazing.

The hand on her throat occasionally tightens, and the rush of air afterward feels like a high.

He's rough, his thrusts deep and hard and she knows she'll have to heal when they're done, but in moments she's screaming out her release.

His eyes flicker between red and onyx, and lock on her's. The effect is strange, but beautiful. She stares, her throat burning beneath his grip.

He's still grinding into her, his breaths quickening. She knows he's close and pressing her hands to the ground behind her head, she arches her back.

He's shaking now, sweat dripping off his brow, his hair swinging in his face.

She loves him. It's heart breaking, but true.

She manages another tenderly painful release, so intense she feels the inky black nothingness at the edges of her consciousness.

Sasuke is rather quiet with his own climax, and just before he reaches it he releases her neck, not wanting to kill her unintentionally. His seed fills her and he allows a moment of weakness as he falls forward, laying his head over her shoulder.

His breath is hot on her skin, his heart thumping loudly in time with hers.

She cherishes these moments, though they never last long.

* * *

She's had her bath, healed any telling mark and is fastening the button of her freshly laundered cloak beneath her chin. She wants to give him another kiss before she leaves, but his scent would remain.

She can't risk it.

Instead, she smiles at him; still laying on the bed, not a stitch of clothing on with a hand behind his head, the other on his stomach. The wound on his leg has seeped through the bandages. He's watching her, but she still can't tell what he's thinking.

As always, she asks the same question as every time before.

"Do you ever plan on coming home to us, Sasuke?"

His answer remains the same. "Hn. Maybe...some day"

She's realized that it's a lie. But it's still nice to hear something other than 'No, now die'.

Nodding her head, she turns away from him and heads back to the squad she left more than four hours ago.

* * *

Naruto is there waiting for her at the gate, his own mission having ended the day before. He's leaning back against the post, arms crossed.

When he sees her, he stands upright and jogs right up to her and circles, checking for injuries, in which she rolls her eyes and calls him an idiot.

He shrugs, says that he worries, and cradling her face between his hands, he kisses her.

She smiles against his mouth and kisses him back. Behind her ribs, her hearts thumps - it's guilt, but Naruto smirks, having heard the skipped beat and assumes it's her love for him. Or his kissing skill.

Her squad members walk by them, Kiba claps Naruto on the back in greeting, Lee salutes him. Sakura catches a double glance from Shikamaru, and in a moment of paranoia thinks he's onto her, until he leans into Kiba and whispers something that makes him gwaff and slap his leg. Akamaru shaking his head side to side like he disapproved of the joke. Naruto, having overheard and blushed, chuckles and scratches the back of his head.

She tilts her head in question, Naruto waves her off, saying it was a perverted comment about making up lost time...or something.

She blushes, nods and contemplates making a comment back about his relationship with Temari, after all, they go months without seeing each other.

But she feels the pang of guilt again. Walking with Naruto, hand in hand on their way to the Hokage tower so Sakura can pass in her Mission reports, she studies him.

He's blabbing about his own mission, loud and happy with life. His blond hair is a bit longer and always seems to fall in his eyes. His eyes... they're still that amazing shade of blue, but it's a common sight to see them golden, and a little more rare to see them red.

Perfect complexion, and the whiskers; they're so much a part of him that he'd seem wrong without them. He's taller than her, only coming up to his chin and he's solid. Just being near him makes her feel safe.

He warm, body and soul. Unbelievably honest. He's quite the catch, and many, many people gave Sakura hell when she decided to start dating Naruto.

She'd been harassed, asked "Why now, you never wanted him before?"

She'd answered: "And where were _you _while he was changing, morphing into the man he is today? _I _was at his side, as his team mate, then his _friend_"

As things stand now, she doesn't deserve him. She loves him, truly she does. She can see them together for the rest of their lives, and was hoping that he'd ask her to marry him.

Until _that _mission.

She'd run into Sasuke, they'd fought and just when she hit tears and was saying her prayers for Naruto, Sasuke had lowered his blade, already stained with her blood, and had kissed her instead.

She gone home and had hit a depression so deep. It had taken two weeks for her to tell Naruto what happened.

It had taken two seconds for him to forgive "what wasn't her fault", and then he'd laughed his fake laugh and said "Well, you got your kiss at least!"

She'd laughed through her tears.

Three weeks later, she was completely back to normal. She and Naruto were discussing finding a place together when she was summoned for a mission. She'd kissed him 'bye' - never 'goodbye', and had left.

Once more she'd been found by Sasuke. This time, she'd come back knowing that Sasuke had skills with his tongue.

Naruto never found out.

After that mission, everything changed.

Sakura became a cheater.

* * *

The evening was clear, the streets lit brilliantly by the stars and the half-moon. Standing outside the restaurant, Sakura gripped Naruto's shirt-front, pulling him closer and opening her mouth to his questing tongue.

She could taste the sauce that came with the shrimp, decided it tasted better with Naruto's essence mixed in.

His hands roam her sides, one rising up between her shoulder blades, the other dropping to rest on her tail-bone.

She loves that about him. He adores her, loves to touch her, but he's polite. He knows that, even after years, her body is still hers.

He's not one to just reach out and grab her assets because he can.

She moans into his mouth when he tightens his grip, and taking a step back from him, she grips his hand and lowering her lashes, she pulls him in the direction of their home.

Her heels making muted thuds on the hard packed dirt road, the ivory satin of her dress accentuating all the right curves.

She's healthy again. It's been four months since her last run in with Sasuke and she's so completely in love with Naruto, Sasuke rarely makes it into her thoughts anymore.

She no longer wonders if she'll see him while on missions. She believes that if she did see him, she'd be able to say no.

Naruto's laughing with her, stumbling his steps trying to keep up. He's had a bit more to drink than she did and his demonic chakra hasn't burned it off yet.

They do, however, make it back without too many problems, ignoring Naruto's trip over his own feet and falling over a hedge into someone's yard. With a dog.

Minus one pant-cuff, Naruto and Sakura are ripping through the layers of clothing on their bodies. Her shoes on the front step, one of his just inside the front door, the other on the first stair.

Her dress floated over the railing to land on the fake 'Sakura' tree in the living room, his shirt on the fifth stair, his pants on the seventh.

Buy the time they reach the bedroom, they're bared to each others view and Sakura has never felt more beautiful.

He trails his hands up her arms, caresses her neck and holds her still to plant tiny kisses on her mouth, her cheeks, her nose, her forehead and her eyes.

She feels the curve of his muscles, the dip of his upper arms, the silken skin pulled taut over his pectorals. The six pack abs. The man was amazingly built.

She's been a medic for eight years and to this day, only one man has ever come close to matching the beauty of Naruto's body.

But the Uchiha has no room in her thoughts anymore.

Naruto's decided that tonight it's about her, and he pays special attention to her entire body. He massages her feet, even cracking her toes, then up her calves. He kisses a tiny scar on her right knee, but continues his massage.

After an hour of having her muscles manipulated into putty by his oh, so capable hands, she wraps one arm around his neck and pulls him down to kiss her.

He's gentle, and inventive. Blowing air into a kiss to heighten the sensation. Adding chakra to his fingertips to warm an area, then blow over it to raise goosebumps.

Sakura uses her medical jutsu to stimulate his prostate, and he's heaving for air even before he finishes his first thrust.

But he's got stamina in spades and has decided that he won't reach his release until she's met hers, at least twice.

The first one was toe tingling and sweet. The second one hurt with it's intensity, and her arched back had reached a new level. Her third made her legs go numb. Her fourth had her screaming his name, and then, only then, did he allow himself to finish.

Sakura decided not to neutralize his semen with her chakra, leaving it to nature to see of she would carry his child or not.

Laying together in the aftermath, Sakura tucked safely in his arms, she feels his heart speed up, hears his throat constrict and he swallows.

Sitting up, she looks him in the eye, waiting for him to spill what he has on his mind. He sits up too, gets out of bed and scratching his chest, goes to the bathroom.

She's waiting for him, plucking lint balls off the blanket, when he comes back with something tucked in his fist.

"If that's a snack, you'd better have brought some for me too. I think we worked off our dinner"

He laughs nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"Actually, it's for you. I figured you'd want it"

Confused, Sakura holds out her hand, to have a small, blue velvet box dropped into her palm.

Her heart pounds and she whips her head up to stare at him. The love and sincerity in his gaze confirms her suspicions, and with flushed cheeks, she tremulously reaches out to open the box.

Inside, tucked neatly into lighter blue velvet folds, a ring made of pink gold. Along the top sat five stones; a sapphire, an emerald, a diamond, another emerald and another sapphire.

It was breath-taking.

Shaking, her hand covered her mouth and her eyes burned. Vision blurry, she watched his tanned, larger hand take the box from her, pull out the ring and then he held her left hand in his, and met her watery gaze.

"I've loved you for longer than I've loved ramen, and twice as much. Haruno Sakura, some days I feel the weight of this world on my shoulders and it's a responsibility I'll take 'cause I want to, 'cause I've fought for it.

"I've lived this long, and fought so hard for everything good in my life, but you have to know, that, of everything, you are the most precious to me.

"You'll always have my heart, but, I want to know if you'll take the man it beats inside of, too?"

Tears were running freely down her face by the time the ring slid easily on to her finger. Glinting beautifully in the light coming from the hall.

Punctuated by hiccups, Sakura answered him with; "I'd be an idiot to say 'no' to that, it's not every day a girl get's to hear that she's more precious to you than ramen"

He chuckles nervously, blushing. "Well?"

She tackles him. "YES! You Idiot!"

* * *

In the middle of figuring out which script would be best for the invitations, (after all, they had to be beautiful and well crafted; some of these would be sent to higher ups. Like the Kazekage, and the Fire Daimyo.) Sakura was summoned by ANBU to the Hokage tower - A mission.

Rolling her eyes, she packed up the paper mess on the table and reached across it to kiss Naruto 'Bye', and shunshined out of their home with a shower of Sakura blossoms.

* * *

B-Rank, solo mission. Simple scroll retrieval. Two days, max. Good enough.

* * *

Scroll tucked safely into a lock box in her pack, Sakura was branch hopping, hoping to get home earlier to surprise her fiance when she felt _his _presence.

Dropping from the tree and pressing low to the ground, she waited, hoping he'd leave and she wouldn't have to confront him.

The whistle was her warning that he wouldn't go easily. Rolling, she missed a shuriken to her right lung and in leaving her hiding spot, another shot by her, swinging around and she was caught. The wires digging into her skin.

Refusing to play his game, she remained still. The wires continued to tighten, breaking through and little trickles of blood began to seep through her clothing.

Minutes ticked by, each one feeling more dangerous than the last, until finally, Sasuke flickered into her vision. The wires pulled free with a winding snap. She was healed by the time he'd tucked the wire away.

He looked the same, hair a little longer, maybe, but he was still stoic, still annoyingly impossible to read. She really missed Naruto.

"Sakura" Her heart pounded. His voice was hot honey; delicious, and potentially painful. Bringing Naruto to her mind, she tried to harden her heart to Sasuke. She didn't _need_ him.

She had an amazing life in Konoha. An amazing fiance. And amazing news too, having had confirmed what she'd already known.

Drawing in a deep breath, she lifted her eyes to his. He stared back at her with the Sharingan, as she knew he would, but she was scared.

Would he kill her now that she would be of no more use to him?

"You've changed, Sakura"

She nodded. "I have. I, listen...I'm done with this, Sasuke. I can't hurt him anymore"

He blinked and, for a heart-faulting moment, his face contorted and he looked angry. "Hn. Who could possibly have taken my place? Lee? Kiba?"

Swallowing, she held up her hand, the ring shining brightly in the sunlight. "_Naruto_, Sasuke, Naruto is my fiance. We're getting married in three months. The 10th"

He was so still, not even breathing. When he finally drew in a breath, it was long, slow and seemed shaky. He disappeared, and to Sakura's horror, he was in her face, holding her left hand up like he was inspecting the ring, only his eyes were locked on hers.

"I'm sure you will be happy together" A flick of his wrist, and Sakura cried out, her own wrist broken. His lips barely touched hers, and then he was gone.

A sickening sensation twisted her stomach. Fighting nausea, she renewed her efforts to get home.

* * *

The sun was sinking behind the mountains when she broke through the trees and saw the large, red doors of Konohagakure. Cautiously, she looks around, her confusion mounting with every step toward the gates.

It's normal. The doors are open, inviting. There are two guards sitting at the station, one of them watching her walk toward them slowly; almost afraid.

The din of village life can still be heard, despite the late hour.

She'd had a confrontation that she knew would change her life, and coming back to _this _felt wrong.

Shouldn't they be sealing the gates against an attack, shouldn't the villagers be en route to the safe houses in the mountain.

Shouldn't she be panicking that Naruto is battling an angry Uchiha?

Completely distracted, she pauses long enough for the guards to nod at her, granting her access. She's disappointed that they didn't ask to see her ID, or scan her chakra to make sure it's her.

Really, it's only too easy for someone to sneak in here. For it's past, Konoha is way too trusting.

But she say's nothing and vaults onto the roof, heading for home.

In moments she spots the slanted, brown roof of their house and makes her last leap into the yard. It's quiet, and she plucks her key from her pack and adds her chakra to the lock before it'll budge. It's a safe-guard they'd installed. Naruto had said she was paranoid. She's thankful now.

The only light on was the kitchen. Calling out for Naruto, she toes off her sandals and frowns when she's met with silence. Dumping her gear on the steps to the upstairs, she walks into the yellow tinted light.

The kitchen was square, lots of counter space and cupboards. The walls a diluted cream with orange and olive green trim.

The island in the center with three bar stools, the table sat against the wall, the box of invitations pushed to one corner.

For an instant, Sakura's motor functions ceased. Her body entirely frozen, her eyes impossibly wide and she screamed.

He was _here_. Sitting in a chair at the table, one leg crossed over the other. In his hands were the framed photos of herself and Naruto.

His burning, red eyes staring hard at the upper most photo. The frame was white, and she knew it was the one of their engagement party.

It had been a formal affair and she'd worn the white satin dress from the night he'd proposed. He, however, had worn his Hokage jacket that was tailored, and finished just that morning. Orange, with red and black flames at the bottom, all trimmed in white. He was a sight in his uniform.

He's not Hokage yet, but he's only waiting for Tsunade to step down for him to take her place.

She was sitting in Naruto's lap, her head back; she was laughing as he peeked at the camera from where he had been nuzzling her neck. His smile huge, his hands holding her possessively.

It was one of their favorites, and was kept in the Master bedroom.

"I must admit, Sakura, you two are a nice looking couple. Naruto must be ecstatic to finally have you in his bed" She bristled. There was so, so much more to them than sex. "Tell me, though, is he aware of your past...transgressions?"

She wanted to say 'yes', to show Sasuke that Naruto loved her, and accepted every part of her, but she flinched. He doesn't know.

Sasuke finally looks up at her, and smirks. "Hn, how loathsome, _Darling _Sakura; whore of the disbanded Team seven"

She wraps her arms around herself. What can she say? It's true. Even now she wants him, thinks he's breathtakingly gorgeous. She _thinks _she's strong enough to deny him, but she hopes the chance doesn't present itself.

"Why, _what_ are you doing _here_, Sasuke? I've told you, it's _over_!"

He sets the picture frames on the table and crosses his arms, looking so out of place in a normally love-filled room, but he seems comfortable to just sit there. She feels cold; it's like he's sucking the life out of the home, out of her. He ignores her questioning.

"Where _is_ the Moron, by the way? I had assumed he'd be here" She doesn't know, and shakes her head.

The urge to scream, to run is clogging her throat and making her legs shake. He can sense this and lifts a brow at her.

"You may run if you please. Go, raise the alarm, bring all the Konoha shinobi in here. I'm sure they'll be happy to die for you"

Sakura's stomach rolls, her teeth clench and she bolts for the downstairs bathroom. The porcelain is cool to her hands as she braces herself and is sick. It's violent, her jaw aching and her throat burns.

She's shaking by the time she finishes, and washing her hands, loading toothpaste on her toothbrush is more difficult than it should be.

But the bile in her mouth is awful, and she pushes, gagging as she scrubs her tongue. She's looking in the mirror, horrified by her sallow reflection when she feels Naruto's chakra flare for the door lock.

She runs for the door, inhaling deeply to scream, but is stopped.

Naruto walks in to his worst nightmare.

It doesn't hurt, yet. Her hands are on her belly, pushing chakra to the tiny life growing inside of her, hoping to protect it from the blade protruding from her belly.

Her back is starting to sting and burn though. Did he poison this one too?

Sasuke is pressed against her back, his mouth on her neck. His tongue is tasting her skin, his erection pushing on her backside. His hand holding her throat, his thumb on her jaw. He tilts her head, and she flinches, gasping, when he twists the blade inside her.

Naruto is screaming her name and it's full of agony and tears. She wants to hold him, to tell him she loves him over and over.

It would be all right to die in his arms. It's more than she deserves, but he's a part of her now.

What a beautiful child they'd have. She's crying now, thinking of the happiness they could have had. Imagining his face when she would have told him about her condition, his expression when he'd hear the heart beat for the first time, when he feels the fluttering of her swollen belly. The light and love in his eyes when he'd hold their child for the first time.

She's pulled from her mind-scape when Sasuke rips the Kodachi from her, the effect feels like her insides are following the blade to fall on the floor, but only blood trickles from the wound.

She's weak and unable to stand, hitting the floor hard and her shoulder jars. She's only thinking of the baby now. She knows she has to live to let the child live, it's too young; only weeks old, to survive outside of the uterus.

She's gasping for air, using her every ability as a medic to keep her heart beating, to sew up the leaking hole in her sore stomach, to change the Ph of the acid burning into her intestines, liver and left kidney. To add another layer of protective chakra around the fetus; the one that had saved it from being sliced was damaged. Then the internal bleeding would have to be stopped before she could cleanse the filth floating freely in her abdominal cavity, and then attempt to fix the open wound... that's a lot of chakra, and she'd used so much trying to get home.

The screaming and blasts of chakra, the flashes and _clings _of metal are distracting, she's trying to ignore them, but that's her past and present fighting only a short distance away. Maybe, if she's lucky, her future too.

Shortly, it goes quiet. So quiet, and she's hyperventilating now. She can't think; there's too much trying to process all at once. She has so many questions, so many concerns, and her healing abilities are starting to wan.

She's still on the floor, waiting for something, anything to change the now, to push the scales into her favor. She needs to live, but she can't tell if she's winning that battle or not.

It all goes away though as the dark fades into her vision, her body stops hurting and she's floating, unfeeling.

Then she knows nothing.

* * *

It's been year to the day. Nothing is the same, but she doesn't mind.

There's a breeze blowing in from the east. It's warm and smells like the rose bushes she planted along the fence. She's thankful for it; the smell of varnish coming off the newly built back porch is strong.

A sturdy, wooden porch swing hangs from the porch's ceiling. The cushions thick and too comfortable for outdoor furniture. Which is probably why it's quite normal to see Naruto passed out here.

But now, it's Sakura sitting out here, her legs folded at her side and a warm cup of tea sitting in her hands on her lap.

She's in a pensive mood today, and it shows with her quietness, with her faraway expressions and the dulled light in her eyes.

She's remembering, and lays a hand on her belly. There's no scar, but she can feel a phantom pain of the blade inside her again.

Of all her wounds, this one stayed with her. Occasionally she'll move a certain way and will feel a tug in her muscles, it hurts, but she's alive.

It's more than she expected.

Nine minutes. That's how long she'd been dead. The battle between Naruto and Sasuke had moved, and raged brighter and longer than any others in recorded history, and had drawn shinobi from all corners of the village.

She had been found by some nameless ninja and carried to the hospital where Ino had been frantic, and had pumped dangerous amount of chakra into her friend. Tsunade was summoned, and she'd made a path of destruction reaching her lifeless pupil.

Her sensei had nearly given up on her, but just before calling it, a reserve had made itself known. The pocket of living chakra inside Sakura's body had pumped hard enough to physically lift her, and restart her vitals.

It had been four days before Sakura could breath on her own, five more until she would open her eyes. Another two days before she could hold down solid food.

By the time she was healed enough to go home, she hadn't been sure if there was a home to go to. A house, sure, but not a home.

Sasuke had done more than kill Sakura, he'd killed Naruto's spirit.

He'd taunted Naruto with stories of his escapades with Sakura, had provided details, in fact. He had smirked, watching the pain in Naruto's eyes as he learned that his beloved Sakura had spread her legs for Sasuke, and screamed for more.

He had felt tremors of excitement when Naruto had clipped him with a Rasengan, breaking two ribs with the impact, after hearing that this had been going on for three years. Naruto and Sakura had been together for nearly four.

He'd laughed out loud, hearing Naruto scream in agony after learning that Sasuke suspected having killed _two _lives with that single, all-too-easy strike.

And then he'd felt his first pang of true fear. After all the blows, all the jutsu marring the former training ground. All the planning, Naruto had pulled something new out of his hat. New to Sasuke anyway, and no way out of it.

Eyes bleeding, he'd activated Amaterasu. The searing, majestic ebony flames dancing wildily across the massacred landscape, following Sasuke's field of vision until he met Naruto's gaze. He'd cackled, completely lost in his insanity, thinking that the Blond menace would finally die.

Had he ever been more wrong?

The flames had paused, hovering in place, before swirling bigger and much harder to control. Blood dripping freely down his face, he'd grunted in pain, pushing harder to propel them. They remained, and steadily grew.

Annoyed, he attempted to cancel out the jutsu and simply try again. They stayed.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up.

A great gust of wind, almost of gale force, struck Sasuke and he'd had to use chakra to even remain in his place, despite hitting the dirt.

An unbelievable chill rushed over his back, and then he'd felt the blisters, the flames eating away at his flesh.

Somehow, Naruto had used his powers of wind chakra, and Kami only knew what others he possessed, to mold the black fire to do his bidding.

Then they faded, evaporated, and only Sasuke's steaming and charred shoulders to attest to them having ever been summoned.

Naruto had stood there, staring. Completely incapable of harboring an ounce of pride for having defeated the man before him.

It had cost him too much. Even though he knew Sasuke was still alive, he turned his back on him and walked away. Vaguely aware of ANBU rushing in to clean the mess.

The unnatural thunder clouds thrumming with pent-up energy had flashed and boomed well into the night, finally opening up to wash away the evidence.

He never did ask what ever happened to Sasuke. Neither has Sakura.

* * *

To everyone's surprise, including Sakura's, Naruto still insisted that they marry. There hadn't been a ceremony, only Tsunade to read the vows and Shizune and Kasashi to witness the event and sign the papers.

Sakura had cried when Naruto merely kissed her cheek. That night, she'd laid awake in bed, alone. He'd slept in the guest room.

Time passed. The days blending together until it all seemed like one, long-assed awake period. A sleep deprived Sakura had finally broken down.

In one night, she had confessed to everything, had explained in gruesome detail her every sin. At the end of her tale, she'd removed her wedding band and laid it in Naruto's shaking palm.

The next morning she'd found the same band on the pillow next to her, along with a note that read; _'Got called for a mission, might be gone for a few days. I'll see you when I get back, -Me.'_

Things seemed to get better after that.

Long removed from the mission roster, Sakura devoted herself to fixing up the house. She re-painted the living room; it was now a pretty shade of rust red. The guest room was remodeled.

The yard was a little more difficult, but eventually the Koi pond was finished, the stone path laid.

Friends had helped with building the porch, and she'd planted all the rose bushes.

The lattice arch way and the swing were some of the last additions.

A lusty howl broke Sakura from her reverie. Taking a final sip of her chilled tea, she stood and walking with a limp; her left foot had fallen asleep, she made her way to the little, violet room beside the master bedroom.

Inside the oak crib, Miyu was trying to fit her tiny fist inside her gaping mouth. Her little feet kicking against the blanket.

Hushing her with gentle sounds and humming, Sakura lifted her daughter and sitting in the chair by the window, she opened the front of her shirt to let the little one eat. Miyu certainly did that well enough; latching onto the nipple with ease.

Knowing she'd be here for a while, Sakura pulled a foot beneath her and started a slow rocking motion with her other.

Staring down at her baby girl, she couldn't help but notice how much Miyu looks like her father, with her sapphire eyes and red hair; Naruto had laughed and said it ran in his family. She's beautiful, and perfectly healthy.

A miracle to have survived, but Sakura figures that must be another thing Miyu inherited from her father.

The ability to survive and persevere over the hardest of circumstances.

A flare of chakra and Sakura knows Naruto's home. Smiling, she listens to him drop his ninja gear on the floor in front of the closet, throw his coat over the first chair he finds and then he's coming up the stairs.

She's watching the door way when he appears. He's smiling too as he walks toward them and leaning over, he rubs his thumb over Miyu's head and kisses the back of it. Miyu growls, annoyed that she's disturbed while feeding.

He chuckles, and looks up at his wife. His smile is still there, just as real for the mother as it is for his daughter, and he leans in again to softly kiss her mouth and then her forehead.

Sakura can't resist. It's been too long since she last uttered the words.

"I love you, Naruto"

He's really looking at her now, his eyes are wide and it takes a minute before he blinks again.

"I love you, too" He means it.

* * *

**Originally, I wasn't going to have Sakura live, but that was before she'd become pregnant. These damned stories write themselves, I swear.**

**Anywho, I honestly hope you don't hate me now. I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not. I'm proud of this piece. ;) **

**I don't mind if you want to let me know what you think though. Really. **

**Oh, and thanks for reading!**


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